Staff View
Letter from Inspector, J.G. Sullivan, allowing Lee Me Bo to enter U.S.

Descriptive

Language
LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Subject
Name (authority = LC-NAF)
NamePart (type = personal)
Lee, Me Bo
Subject
Name (authority = local)
NamePart (type = personal)
李美保
Note (type = source note)
Lee Me Bo (Box 76, Case 13, 215); Chinese exclusion acts case files, 1880-1960; Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group 85; National Archives and Records Administration – Northeast Region (New York).
Extension
DescriptiveEvent
Type
Digital exhibition
Label
Chinese Exclusion in New Jersey: Immigration Law in the Past and Present
DateTime (encoding = w3cdtf); (point = start); (qualifier = exact)
2012
AssociatedEntity
Role
Curator
Name
Urban, Andy
AssociatedEntity
Role
Curator
Name
Chávez, Vanessa
AssociatedEntity
Role
Curator
Name
Mason, Mario
AssociatedEntity
Role
Curator
Name
Rochfort, Melissa
AssociatedEntity
Role
Curator
Name
Vargas, Mari
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition section
Relationship
Forms part of
Name
Lee Me Bo
Detail
Lee Me Bo, born in Hin Loo Village, China, worked at a grocery store. He came to the United States through Montreal after his brother Lee Yick paid 250 dollars to the firm Yee Wo Lung & Company to smuggle him into New York through the border town of Malone, since he did not have papers entitling him entry. Upon arrival, Lee worked in the store of Quong Yuen Shing in New York City for seven years, for a monthly salary of 30 dollars. Lee saved money in order to obtain interest in Quong Lee Yuen & Company, based on Lafayette Street in Newark. On February 15, 1908, Lee initiated the procedure to officially establish his status as a merchant, which would allow him to depart for China with the intent to reenter the United States. He was 35 years-old and married to Wong She, and had no children. As part of legal proceedings, Lee Me Bo had white witnesses Alethia M. Carter, Adolph Franz, Lizzie Ash, James Ash, John Yourth, and Mrs. Roubroy testify to his involvement in Quong Lee Yuen as a merchant.

Lee Me Bo had come before the immigration officials to obtain the necessary certification of his merchant status prior to departing the United States for China so that he would be eligible for reentry upon his return with minimal scrutiny and hassle. He was required to submit to an interrogation to prove his merchant status and to confirm that he was not undertaking any manual labor. The provision of the Chinese Exclusion Act that was being enforced in this case was the need for Lee Me Bo to acquire the appropriate certifications from the Immigration Service in order to be able to reenter the United States as a domiciled merchant when returning from China.

The United States restricted Chinese immigration through the Chinese Exclusion Act but Section 6 created an exemption for students, teachers, merchants, and travelers. Lee Me Bo was smuggled through Canada and created his life in New Jersey. He was able to prove he was a merchant and gain the right to reentry although he did not have resident papers. The white witnesses who testified on Lee’s behalf knew him through the Protestant Sunday School where he studied, and their religious affiliation gave them credibility as “respectable” members of the community. Although they could not verify positively his merchant status, they believed him to be a credible, assimilated Chinese man, who attended their school regularly.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition caption
Relationship
Forms part of
Name
Letter from Inspector, J. G. Sullivan, allowing Lee Me Bo to enter U.S.
Detail
Two years later, in June 1910, he filed for re-entry under the status of being a merchant with an established interest still remaining in Quong Lee Yuen. In his paperwork upon return, Lee Me Bo sighted [i.e., cited] the birth of a son and because of his preliminary measures was allowed entry with no restrictions.
AssociatedObject
Type
Placement in digital exhibition
Relationship
Forms part of
Name
39
TypeOfResource
StillImage
TitleInfo
Title
Letter from Inspector, J.G. Sullivan, allowing Lee Me Bo to enter U.S.
OriginInfo
DateIssued (encoding = w3cdtf); (keyDate = yes); (qualifier = exact)
1910-06-17
Subject (authority = local)
Topic
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
Subject (authority = LCSH)
Topic
Chinese Americans
Subject (authority = LCSH)
Topic
Immigrants
Subject
HierarchicalGeographic
Country
UNITED STATES
State
New Jersey
Genre (authority = AAT)
forms (documents)
Subject (authority = lcsh/lcnaf)
Geographic
United States--Emigration and immigration
PhysicalDescription
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
image/x-djvu
InternetMediaType
image/jpeg
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Lee
NamePart (type = given)
Me Bo
Role
RoleTerm (authority = marcrelator); (type = text)
Associated name
Name (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
NamePart (type = given)
美保
Role
RoleTerm (authority = marcrelator); (type = text)
Associated name
Identifier (type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore00000002171.Document.000065183
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Chinese Exclusion in New Jersey: Immigration Law in the Past and Present
Identifier (type = local)
rucore00000002171
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T30C4TP9
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Rights

RightsDeclaration (AUTHORITY = RU_Archives); (ID = RU_Archives_v2)
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs use of this work. You may make use of this resource, with proper attribution, in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Copyright
Status
Public domain
Availability
Status
Open
Reason
US federal document
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Source

SourceTechnical
SourceType
Text or graphic (paper)
Extent (Unit = page(s))
1
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Technical

ContentModel
Document
MimeType (TYPE = file)
image/tiff
MimeType (TYPE = container)
application/x-tar
FileSize (UNIT = bytes)
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Checksum (METHOD = SHA1)
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